Tharros Polemistis
Backstory The birthplace of Tharros Polemistis is unknown. His parents were killed when he was still within his egg. This was the work of a malevolent wizard by the name of Malefor, who committed such an act just to prove how powerful he was after many of his followers doubted his strength. Morever, Tharros' father, Yvris, had been a part of this wizard's forces. His innate prideful disposition formed him the perfect contender to fight for the wicked sorcerer. He was a savage and adept fighter who instilled fear in all those who stood against him and his master. This however had changed once he met Andrea, where the endless power of love overwhelmed the battle torn Yvris. It wasn't long before their child was to be born, and they had plotted to train him to overthrow Malefor and put an end to his tyranny. This notion did not go unnoticed, and days before Tharros was born, Yvris and Andrea met a swift demise by the mage despite their valiant efforts. The soon to be born Griffin was brought into the same legion of warriors his parents fought in, where he would begin training to become a formidable fighter. Most of these members, much like himself were mythological creatures and were able to fight for many eras. This appeared to be Malefor's goal; to amass an eternal army of the ultimate combatants. Upon hatching, he was taken care of by various members of the clan until he was strong enough to begin his training. Since he could walk on two feet, Tharros was trained day and night to become a formidable warrior. Despite the harsh training, Tharros was a rather meek and timid individual who was always reluctant to fight. Aside from this, the leader of this army controlled them by infecting them with the seven deadly sins. After the sin of Pride took over Tharros so many times, it eventually formed the Griffin into a prideful warrior who never questioned his unknown leader's intentions and wanted only to show his strength. He was even eventually counted among the very few to be one of the most trusted individuals and even led his own brigade at times to send forth destruction in the name of Malefor, the same individual who orphaned him. Although with talk from his allies, Tharros learned of his parent's fate as well as additional information about them. It was at this moment he began to resent Malefor, and swore to himself he would follow through with their intentions. Malefor never actually revealed his presence and instead commanded his army of mythical warriors by telepathy while remaining hidden in an unknown location. Despite this, any notion of disobedience or abandonment was promptly dealt with. Centuries of this passed and Tharros had fought in many wars; achieving many victories, but also facing numerous defeats. This legion was disbanded long ago for reasons unknown and any trace of their existence has been lost in history. Tharros has lived on and continues his training for that is all he knows. He has spent his long years seeking out countless battles to increase his fighting prowess and will continue to do so until he meets his bitter demise. The thought of Malefor returning is a frequent thought of his, and he intends to utilize his skill and power acquired over the years to prevent another uprising of his. Appearance Tharros stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 275 pounds with a rather muscular build. Being the hybrid he is; Tharros has the head of an eagle, sporting white feathers and a large, golden colored and curved beak with two nostril pits. Despite having a beak, he has 2 rows of teeth with the upper and lower canines being 3 inch long fangs which are easily exposed. A pair of elongated, slightly pointed and erect white feathered ears are perked on the top of his head. He has a pair of piercing and rigid eyes with a glassy white sclera, deep gold irises and black feline pupils. Another eagle trait is his strong and durable white feathered wings protruding from his upper back. These are typically retracted and folded against his back. Once he fully spreads them out, his wingspan of 10 and a half feet is shown. On his chest, he has an excessively tufted, diamond shaped patch of white feathers. White feathers also cover a portion of his knees and ends at his upper shins, where his golden tarsus begins. Tharros has 5 digit anisodactyl talons for feet with the same gold color and black, slightly curved 5 inch claws on each end. His arms, torso and upper legs are that of a lion with brown, medium length fur covering those regions. He has a thick and large dark brown, somewhat spikey furred mane that encircles his neck and hangs just below shoulder level and overlaps the patch of feathers. His large paws have 3 inch, retractable white colored claws hidden within each of his fingertips. He has a long and thin tail with a large tuft of dark brown fur on the tip that is typically carried in an arc. When fully straightened, the tail is shown to be slightly over half of Tharros’ height. Personality Due to his past transgressions, Tharros lives by a personal code, swearing to never take one's life no matter the situation. Although in the midst of battle, he's not against severely injuring his opponent so long as he knows they'll survive. If one were to die by his hands, it would be the ultimate act of humility for him. There are exceptions to this when it comes to undead foes such as demons and vampires as he believes their lives have already ended. He possesses immense willpower and a desire to "better" the world. He has an impulse to seek out malevolent forces where they hide and combat them. He is extremely stubborn and does not believe in compromise. He believes in very clear definitions of right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable, and winner and loser. Tharros will rarely take the role of a leader, though he sometimes serves as second-in-command or as the backbone of an organization or group. When this position is offered to him and he has no option to accept, his natural born leadership is shown. This is when it is shown Tharros is fond of making impassioned speeches to boost the morale of his followers and to bestow them with his wisdom. It is very difficult to convince him to change his mind, but once his mind has changed, expect him to jump to the opposite extreme of the argument. He is extremely confident, though in a more stoic and less outspoken manner. He has a strong sense of self-worth and may express it in a particularly abrasive form of self-righteousness. He has a natural warrior-like mentality, preferring to fight stronger opponents rather than weaker ones and generally shows reluctance to fight those he considers weaker than himself. Tharros has incredible amounts of courage, both physically and mentally. That being said, he has the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation with no problem. He can easily face physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death. He acts rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement. Additionally, he is somewhat judgmental and will likely view an individual as an enemy before he counts them as an ally. He believes in confronting facing problems head on with a direct show of force and intimidation before they can become too serious a threat. Despite his life revolving around combat and caring little for anything else, Tharros is rather nonconfrontational when it comes to conflicts. He will initially attempt to peacefully resolve problems with speech and will only fight if he feels threatened or challenged. The key aspect of his personality is his strong, mostly unalterable convictions. He values honor above reason, is rarely forgiving to those that upset him and absolutely despises cowardice. Abilities Born to be a fighter, he has spent the countless years of his existence training. He has a wide array of abilities he can use both in and out of combat. Enhanced Condition This ability has numerous uses. Tharros possess peak physical and mental condition. He has incredible physical fortitude throughout his entire body, allowing him to pull off astounding feats of herculean strength and can suffer high extents of pressure as well as damage. By placing a majority of the strength in his legs, he can leap far and high distances. Furthermore, he can fight for prolonged amounts of time before succumbing to exhaustion. Even so, he can function on low amounts of power, allowing him to operate for an extended amount of time and remain calm through stressful or painful situations. Tharros has drastically enhanced reaction speed, allowing him to maneuver around complex attacks, catch falling objects, block detriments and react instantaneously to what others take more time to react to. He has an extremely well developed sense of balance and can precisely control his movements and muscles, making him unable to be uncoordinated. He can only fall over when physically uprooted or pushed, though most times he can land on his feet. Through much practice, Tharros can stand upright on even the most unstable of surfaces and can fight at seemingly impossible angles and positions. Also with ample training, he has learned to bend and twist his body far beyond the normal limits of physiology, although still only from the joints. His joints, muscles, tendons and physiology in general is modified to allow him to perform near-boneless looking contortions without stress or damage and stay in any position he chooses as long he needs to without effort or strain. He has immense memory and other mental capacities, allowing thinking on several different levels at once and while multitasking. He can remember great volumes of information and can recall a vast majority of the details of his experiences. Because he has existed for countless years, he possesses great wisdom: deep understanding and realization of concepts, people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgments and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of his emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and knowledge prevail to determine one's actions. Since he has lived across the world within his extensive life, he has become fluent in multiple languages. Tharros has a regeneration ability which mainly shows its usefulness after combat. He can heal from injuries slightly faster than what is considered normal and he can survive otherwise fatal wounds. This has further allowed the numerous scars inflicted on him throughout his years to eventually fade and vanish. He can also can deny requirements for a long time such as the need of food, sleep and even water. Enhanced Senses While his vision is normal, it can act as a sort of telescope, allowing him to zoom his vision at will and see clearly from far distances. Using this will cause his pupils to make a noticeable increase in size. His eyes also allow him to perceive his surroundings in the darkest of areas as if they were under light. Once the night vision is activated, his irises don a green hue. Both of these sight enhancers can be switched on and off instantly and require nearly no energy to preform. His other senses are increased beyond a normal level as well. He can hear and smell clearly from far distances, taste poisons or other potential hazards and has the ability to sense vibrations through solid substances, liquids or even the air-pressure changes. Furthermore, Tharros can remain completely aware at all times of the true reality around him, potentially seeing through any optical and/or mental illusions that others attempt to deceive him with. Flight His highly durable wings allow him to reach speeds up to 400 mph. However, he actually has difficulty reaching flight without using the momentum from a powerful jump. Even once flight is achieved, he has very poor acceleration and could take extensive amounts of time before reaching full speed. He also has the ability to adapt to high altitude environments. He is able to withstand extremely high or low air pressure and isn't disoriented or deprived of normal breathing capacity by it as well as high wind friction, accompanied by an innate immunity to vertigo or fear of heights. Astonishingly, he can survive the vacuum of space for short periods of time, although it takes a bit of a toll on his body. His enhanced lung capacity assists with this. He has learned to control his flying well and can fight while airborne just as efficiently as on the ground. Pride Empowerment Because of the overexposure to the sin of pride, Tharros has become an embodiment of it and has the unique ability of Pride Empowerment as a result. The more confidence he has in himself, the more his overall power is increased. This ability is typically hidden until Tharros actually exhorts his prideful tendencies. Moreover, this power is subconscious and he must act prideful naturally. If he is intentionally prideful, this ability will cease to function. There appears to be no limit to this once he begins gathering it up, meaning he can potentially reach a state of absolute infinite power if it goes on for long enough. Once enough time passes without exhorting pride, any built up power will gradually reset. In addition, Tharros can project a purple colored aura composed entirely of pride energy at will and the more power he has built up, the more intense the aura is. This doesn't aid with his abilities and simply displays the amount of energy is at his disposal, although it can be rather destructive at higher levels. The aura typically covers his entire body, but he can minimize it to anywhere on his body and can dispel it at any time. Telekinesis Tharros' mental capacity and abundance of mental training has granted him the ability to control objects through sheer thought. Said objects must be within his line of sight, or at the least, he must have pinpoint awareness of their location. The extent of this is identical to his physical limits, meaning with his mind, he can exhort the same amount of force mentally as he can physically and it corresponds to the amount of pride power he has garnered. As such, there a wide variety of feats he can achieve with this ability. Telepathy Another feat accomplished through Tharros' mental strength. There are a number of prerequisites that are required to be in order for this to be fully effective. Firstly, Tharros must have ample concentration and almost enter a meditative state. Secondly, he must have physical contact with the target, preferably with one of his paws. The target must also be mentally willing to permit him this task, and once he makes the initial contact, he can speak with the target through thought and talk them through the process. Once this is done, Tharros can enter the mind of the individual, where he can see all the thoughts, memories and subconscious thoughts of that person. This ability also allows him to remain completely aware at all times of the true reality around him, potentially seeing through any optical and/or mental illusions that others attempt to deceive him with. Aerokinesis Tharros has limited control over the element of Wind. With a hefty flap of either wing, he can create and launch razor sharp, crescent-shaped constructs of wind from the feathery appendage. These cover a wide area and are known to cut through metal, but their accuracy is poor and it takes some time for it to be unleashed. As the amount of pride at his disposal increases, the speed in which he unleashes these and their speed once launched as well as their damage and accuracy can reach great levels. Using his enhanced lung capacity mentioned above, he can release a cone shaped torrent of wind from his beak. The reach of this is rather far and the most it would accomplish is knocking an opponent off balance for a short time. His pride power affects this as well and can increase the range and the amount of power is behind it. Geokinesis Much like the element of Wind, Tharros has very little control over the element of Earth. By using his formidable strength, he can send a fist to the ground with great force that creates small fissures and has a maximum radius of 15 yards which often forms craters. Depending on the amount of power he places into this, it'll either decrease one's stability or knock them down. Much like his Aerokinesis, the range and power of this ability is heightened depending on his amount of pride power. The extent of these tremors can reach to devastating and destructive levels. He can also burrow just under the surface of an earthen surface and move at moderate speeds. This is mainly used for surprise attacks or to vanish from sight. This ability holds little augmentation with the increase of pride, as Tharros is only granted a boost in speed once submerged in the ground. Weaponry Tharros wields a rather strange and unique weapon which is essentially 2 cross-halberds connected. Each of the 4 ends face the same way and consists of a large axe blade with a moderate sized, dagger-shaped spike mounted on top. It has a crescent shaped hook on the back side of the axe blade that is equal in size to the axe blade. The shaft is made of black and gold colored metal and the blades are composed of highly durable, gray colored steel. The weapon additionally has golden yellow guards. Its size is large, almost reaching Tharros in height from one bladed tip to the opposing one and weighs 27 pounds. The weapon is named Anemomylos and given its uncanny shape and overall difficulty in wielding, it has taken Tharros long to master as he has wielded this since his younger years. He utilizes this weapon with a series of quick and weak slashes or thrusts typically aiming with only one of the bladed edges or top mounted spikes. The crescent shaped hook is most useful for grappling. More lethal attacks can be done by spinning the weapon and making use of all 4 bladed edges, although these tend to be slower. Both paws are usually used to use this large and heavy weapon, but he has demonstrated one paw can wield Anemomylos with just as much capability. Tharros can throw the weapon in a boomerang-like fashion and can cover a large and wide ranged area before coming back to him. Furthermore, he can create small tremors by striking the ground with one of the bladed tips as well as unleash crescent-shaped air constructs at will by swinging the weapon. He can catch his weapon effortlessly and with no damage to himself if his back is turned or his eyes are focused elsewhere, even with one paw. He can also detach the weapon and have access to 2 cross-halberds with a swift and hefty pull. He uses these in a similar manner by employing various stabs and twirls to damage foes. These tend to be faster, but not as powerful. Combat style Throughout his many years, Tharros has studied and mastered innumerable styles of different Martial Arts, giving him physical, mental and spiritual perfection when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. It has given him the potential to harness his body's natural energy to maximize the power of his each individual strikes. He does have vast knowledge in a wide variation of weapon styles such as swords, spears, staffs and including his own. Although he possesses a formidable weapon and is highly proficient in using it, he prefers hand-to-hand and will only use Anemomylos when it’s absolutely necessary. He is an analytical genius and has the ability to swiftly and thoroughly examine his opponent's combat style through even the faintest of movements and with the abundant variants of combat styles, he can adapt to almost any kind of opponent.. He can additionally form complex strategies within mere moments to overcome opponents. By combining these factors, he can swiftly and effortlessly discover an exploitable weakness which he can capitalize from. He has a refined balance of offence and defense which he can fluently lean towards one or the other depending on his opponent. Tharros is a tactical fighter who either utilizes very precise pressure point strikes to promptly immobilize foes, or target other crucial areas such as the stomach, chest and facial regions. He is also a fair fighter and will refuse to strike a downed opponent or strike from behind. The power in his strikes is immense and his attacks have incredible accuracy. With knowledge of numerous fighting styles, Tharros has also adopted his own and typically combines techniques from other Martial Arts with his own unique style. He has learned to utilize his body's natural tools to maximum efficiency. His claws and talons can add to melee strikes for maximized damage. His beak can send forth a barrage of quick and deadly pecks in addition to a lethal bite using his formidable fangs. His wings can be additionally used to wrap around his body for increased defense and even a quick and powerful melee strike by lashing them forward. His tail and talons are prehensile, able to grasp objects with surprising speed, strength and accuracy, which is highly useful for combat. His tail aids in balance and is quite flexible, which he typically demonstrates by coiling it around even the smallest of objects. Despite his tail's slim and weak look, it can actually withstand slightly more than Tharros' weight and can be used to strike foes with a moderately damaging attack. Overall, Tharros is a highly disciplined and remarkably adept combatant who's well aware of his body's limitations. He can potentially overcome any opponent even with the odds against him. Strengths Tharros has 2 fearsome opposing combinations. His immense physical fortitude and fighting prowess coupled with his IQ of 195 derived from the knowledge and wisdom gathered throughout many centuries has made him a combatant of both brain and brawn. Given the 2 elements he can slightly control as well as his fighting style, Tharros is a master of both land and air. Weaknesses There aren't many weaknesses for Tharros but the few he has can hinder him greatly. His eyes are moderately sensitive and he's susceptible to bright or heavily flashing lights. His agility is slightly below average, although he is more quick and nimble then he appears. However, he can be put at a disadvantage against fast fighters. He is also rather large, which makes him an easy target in combat, especially in more crowded areas. Tharros has poor range with his attacks, especially considering he lacks any sort of reliable projectiles and relies heavily on extremely close ranged tactics. This can put him at a severe disadvantage against more ranged adversaries. When it comes to modern technology such as phones and computers, he has yet to adapt to them and finds them useless and difficult. Ghosts and spirits are another problem for him. His unfamiliarity with them both in knowledge and combat has resulted in a mild fear of them. Pride is a versatile tool for Tharros, but it can serve as a weakness at times. He will always allow a foe a stronger transformation if they have one and will make no intents to stop them, or allow them to retrieve a weapon and will refuse to strike from behind or while an opponent is down. His demeanor may become brash and confident if he gains the upper hand in combat, often insulting his opponent’s flaws and becoming relatively careless as a result. While in a battle, he typically does not fight with his full power, preferring to put himself at a weaker level then his opponent to present a challenge. This can potentially lead to a number of problems for him. Sometimes he even allows his opponent to strike him without any resistance in a way to test their strength. The most prominent weakness of his pride is the desire to never back away from battle, even if he's aware it could be his undoing. Tharros prefers to die in pride, than flee and live a coward. Although since these actions fuel his Pride Empowerment, the level of these weaknesses is debatable. Humility is his most lethal weakness. If Tharros commits acts of humility, his power will make a noticeable decrease and will drop heavily the more it continues. The extension of this can be so severe to the point it could end his life. Unlike his Pride Empowerment, this will not reset over time and will instead slowly dissipate with prideful actions. Trivia * His first name is the Greek word for courage while his last name is the Greek word for warrior. His weapon name is Greek as well, translating to windmill in English given the shape of it. * Tharros' status as a "perfect warrior" and affinity for battle in inspired by the Spartans of ancient Greece. * Tharros' personality is a combination of the elements of metal and light. * Tharros has a signature battle cry he lets out before a fight. It starts off with a high pitched, eagle screech and ends with a deep and low lion growl. * When he speaks, his words lack contractions, meaning instead of saying things like "I'm" and won't", he'll instead use the full "I am" and "will not". * Much like the Griffins in mythology, Tharros' feathers can be used to cure blindness and his talons can detect poison by changing into a sickly green color when nearby. * His primary language for some time was Greek until he learned English. Category:Characters